


The best kind of present

by Ash0605



Category: Love Live! School Idol Festival ALL STARS (Video Game), Love Live! School Idol Project, ラブライブ! 虹ヶ咲学園スクールアイドル同好会 | Love Live! Nijigasaki Gakuen School Idol Doukoukai (Anime)
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), And Emma being a sweetheart!, Birthday, Domestic Fluff, Established Relationship, Everyone Is Gay, F/F, Fluff, Karin Being Adorable, Pandas, Tags Are Hard
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-10
Updated: 2021-02-10
Packaged: 2021-03-15 22:08:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,953
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29321406
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ash0605/pseuds/Ash0605
Summary: After coming home from grocery shopping, Emma learns that the best kind of presents come as a complete surprise, independent of occasion.HappybelatedBirthday Emma!
Relationships: Asaka Karin/Emma Verde
Comments: 4
Kudos: 23





	The best kind of present

Emma nudged the door back into its frame with her elbow and breathed a sigh of relief as she dropped the grocery bags she was carrying, relieving herself of their weight. She cast her eyes down the beige white hallway to see Karin greeting her with a polite wave. While the bright smile on her face was typical, the way she leaned up against the closet door on the right side of the hallway instead of moving forward to greet her or help her with her bags was unusual.

Emma pushed the thought aside for now, content to reply to Karin’s smile with one of her own. “Was everything ok while I was out?”

Karin’s entire body seemed to relax under the light of Emma’s smile, but it didn’t convince her to step away from the door. “Everything was fine, dear. I just looked through some magazines and did a few other small things.”

“I’m happy to hear that!” Emma beamed. “I’ve got all the groceries for this week! I’ve also stocked up on baking supplies, so I’ll have another go at making some bread!” Upon mention of the word, her imagination ran wild with images of many types of breads, all with golden brown crusts and pleasant aromas. She poked through her shopping bags to find all the ingredients, not so much to check if they were still there, but to envision them as the next treat her and Karin could share.

“Gods, I’ve been looking forward to having some of your bread again.” Karin praised. She closed her own eyes, no doubt having some bread related thoughts of her own. “If it’s not too much trouble, could I try baking with you again? I want to see if I can do a bit better than I did last time.”

“It’s no trouble at all! I would love to bake with you again!” Emma exulted. The thought of baking with Karin was all that occupied her mind as she removed her long-sleeved leather coat. The possibility of burnt bread and the mental strain of helping Karin knead the dough were both bridges Emma would cross when the time came.

As Emma closed her eyes and pondered to herself happily, she let her memory of their house guide her to the closet. Each familiar step was followed by another, until she felt herself walk into something, jolting her out of her thoughts. As she opened her eyes, the possibility of her walking into the closet door (Which she had done several times before to Karin’s amusement) was debunked. She had actually bumped into Karin, who was still stood in front of the white door. Her legs were as immovable as a tree firmly rooted to the ground.

“Ah! I’m sorry for bumping into you Karin!” Emma apologized, taking a step back. “Can I get into the closet? I just need to hang my coat up.”

“Oh! Urm…” Karin tensed up in response, spreading her arms outwards and standing on her tip toes to cover up more of the door. “Could you… put your coat somewhere else for now? Theres something in here I don’t want you to see.” Her eyes scanned the beige wall behind Emma, refusing to meet her azure blue eyes.

“Something you don’t want me to see…” Emma closed her eyes and stroked her chin. Her mind raced with possibilities, ranging from a selection of gifts to hampers of food. She shuddered at the thought of Karin hiding a wedding ring in there, and when she considered the possibility of the rest of her friends hiding in the closet together she reeled her mind in, realizing her speculations had gotten out of hand. “So like a surprise?”

Karin replied with a hesitant nod. “Yeah… a surprise!”

Karin’s response didn’t fill Emma with much confidence, but she remembered the mental gymnastics of hiding presents from her friends and family back home. “I understand! I’m sorry for putting you in a situation like this! Am I ok putting my coat up in our room for now?”

“That’s fine.” Karin replied, her voice seeming more relaxed. “I’m sorry for being an inconvenience.”

“Don’t be! I’ll be back down in a second, ok?” After heeding Karin’s confirmation, she removed her walking boots and placed them neatly at the side of the hallway. She then started to ascend the carpeted stairs to the first floor of their house while holding her coat over her shoulder. Her imagination was running wild again, but this time it was with questions of why instead of what. Both of Karin’s and Emma’s birthdays were months away, and Christmas and Valentines were even more distant. The closest occasion was Rina’s birthday, but even that was a month away.

As she pushed through the doorframe to their shared bedroom, she remembered a boastful quote from Kasumi after giving a gift to Shizuku: “ _The best kinds of gifts are the ones that come as a complete surprise! That’s why I’m such a great girlfriend!_ ” Emma laughed to herself happily as she considered the romantic connotations of Karin’s actions. She truly was blessed to live with someone as wonderful as Karin.

Their shared bedroom was divided into two halves, one for Emma and one for Karin. The double sized bed in the center of the room was actually made up of two single beds, which gave the pair the freedom to push the beds together and sleep with each other whenever they were feeling comfortable. Emma’s side was filled with books, clothes and other items all neatly arranged on shelves and table tops, and the beige walls were covered with school idol merchandise and memories of home. Karin’s side was messier, with magazines, clothes and notes strewn all over the floor, but Karin constantly reassured Emma that it was fine since she ‘had a system in place’.

Emma carefully laid her coat down on her side of the bed, her eyes focusing on Karin’s side of the room. Her gaze danced from the books on the floor to the posters on the wall, and finally to the clothing rack in the corner of the room. She felt like there was something missing, and when she realized what it was the epiphany struck her like a thunderbolt.

Karin’s panda plushies were gone! They usually found their home in a line across the back wall, and as such were the only objects on her side that were governed by any attempt at organization. It didn’t take Emma long to connect the dots, after which she quickly made her way back down the stairs. To her surprise, Karin was still stood sheepishly in front of the closet door.

Emma couldn’t suppress the grin on her face as she perused Karin’s confused expression. “The pandas are in the closet, aren’t they?”

Karin reacted instantly, spreading herself out to cover the door and turning her head sideways. “I don’t… I don’t know what you mean!” she spluttered.

“Your panda plushies aren’t upstairs. Are they in the closet?” Emma continued softly. Karin said nothing, but her body tensed up further. Her hands tightly gripped the sides of the doorframe and her eyes appeared to widen, even if they weren’t looking directly at Emma.

Emma lowered herself down, placing her hands on her knees. She was trying to make herself look as small as possible as if she was trying to console of her siblings. “Karin, can I look inside the closet?” she asked politely.

After a few seconds of internal strife, Karin relented. She wrapped her arms around herself as she stepped away from the door, keeping her eyes on the floor. After flashing Karin an encouraging smile, she gripped the doorknob and pulled the door outwards. As she suspected, around two dozen panda bears of varying sizes and materials tumbled out onto the floor, lightly tickling Emma’s ankles. While the smile on Emma’s face widened, Karin’s cheeks bloomed bright red.

“Aww Karin! What were you doing with all of these!” There wasn’t an ounce of disappointment in Emma’s voice. Seeing Karin act cute and childish was as much of a present as any gift or outing was.

Karin said nothing for a few seconds, instead opting to tug at her sleeves. “I wanted… to try and cuddle with all the pandas on the sofa.” she eventually admitted. “When I got your text, I figured I didn’t have enough time to rearrange them all upstairs, so I… So I hid them all in the closet.”

Emma couldn’t hold herself back anymore. She rushed to wrap her arms around Karin, who was blushing red and looking down at the floor. Karin’s body seemed to tense up when it touched Emma’s. “Aww Karin! That’s adorable!”

“No it isn’t!” Karin retaliated in a frustrated tone. “It’s embarrassing! I have a reputation!”

“A reputation for what?” Emma cooed.

“For being a model! For being smart and sexy and mature! For not… being like this!”

Emma squeezed Karin tighter to try and get her to calm down and was happy to notice Karin’s body relaxing. After taking a second to make sure Karin wasn’t trying to push her away, she started to speak in a soft, reassuring tone. “I know you have a reputation to keep up with, but you don’t have to do that in front of me. Both of these sides are a part of you, even if you don’t think they are, and I love both of them equally.”

Karin’s eyes properly met Emma’s for the first time since she came home. Her blue eyes, which were usually crystal clear, now looked unsure. “Do you mean that?” she asked.

“Of course I do! I fell in love with every part of you, after all!” Emma resounded, nuzzling closer to Karin for added effect. “Also, this is just between you and me, but I think you’re adorable when you act like this. You should definitely do it more often.” she whispered. Her mind conjured up images of all the times Karin had acted like this in the past, from sneakily cuddling with a panda when she thought Emma wasn’t looking to looking longingly at them when they were both settling in for the night.

After this, Karin finally relented. Her whole body relaxed and she melted into Emma’s arms, burying her head in Emma’s shoulder. “Emmaaa…” she groaned defeatedly.

“Promise me you’ll act like this more often, ok? It’s a win-win situation! You get to cuddle some pandas and I get to see you being adorable more often!”

“I suppose when you put it like that, I can’t really refuse, can I?” Karin simpered, taking a deep breath. “I promise.”

“Yay!” Emma pressed a light kiss to Karin’s forehead, prompting Karin to blush and smile wickedly to herself. “I love you!”

“I love you too.” Karin chuckled softly. “Though before we move on, I’d like to apologize for saying there was a surprise in the closet.”

“Oh Karin! You don’t have to apologize about that!”

“I know, but I still feel like I should. You could have been anticipating a gift or a date of some kind, and you end up finding two dozen panda plushies instead. I’m sorry for getting your hopes up.”

“You don’t have to apologize, Karin.” Emma reassured kindly. “Besides, I’d say you still got me a gift! Being able to see you like this is a gift in itself!”

“Alright, now you’re just teasing me.” Karin blushed.

“I’m not! Your present came as a complete surprise, and people say those are the best kinds of presents!” Emma beamed.

To Emma’s delight, Karin groaned again and buried herself in Emma’s shoulder. “If you really say so.” she relented.

**Author's Note:**

> Happy Birthday Emma! My apologizes for being 5 days late! If it helps at all I had this idea the whole time, I just didn't get around to writing it. Emma is such a wonderful character! She's so kind and sweet and gentle, not to mention incredibly brave for going to a foreign country to fulfil her dreams. As they were the pairing in the first fic I ever wrote, I owe a lot to Emma/Karin and it was definitely a good time writing them again!
> 
> Thank you so much for reading! If you have any comments or feedback feel free to leave them here! If you want to reach out on twitter feel free to do so at @ash060500
> 
> I hope you have a good rest of your day and I wish you the best in staying safe!


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